The Hobbit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the book. For other uses, see Hobbit (disambiguation).

The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again

Cover to the 1937 first edition
Author	J. R. R. Tolkien
Cover Artist	J. R. R. Tolkien
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Genre(s)	Fantasy novel
Publisher	George Allen & Unwin (UK) & Houghton Mifflin Co. (USA)
Released	1937
Media Type	Print (Hardback & Paperback) & Audio book
ISBN	ISBN 1-131-37105-4 (UK 1st hardback edition) & ISBN 0-261-10328-8 (Current US hardback edition)
Followed by	The Lord of the Rings

The Hobbit is a novel written by J. R. R. Tolkien in the tradition of the fairy tale. It was first published on September 21, 1937. While it also stands in its own right, it is often seen as a prelude to Tolkien's monumental fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings (published in 1954 and 1955).

The story, subtitled There and Back Again, follows the adventures of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins as he travels across the lands of Middle-earth with a band of dwarves and a wizard named Gandalf on a quest to restore a dwarven kingdom and a great treasure stolen by the dragon, Smaug.

Contents 1 The novel 2 Synopsis 3 Alternative version 4 Differences and inconsistencies 5 Similarities to Beowulf 6 Editions 6.1 Translations 7 Adaptations 7.1 Film 8 Other adaptations 8.1 Games 9 Influences on other works 10 See also 11 External links 12 References

[edit] The novel

In a 1955 letter to W. H. Auden, Tolkien recollects in the late 1920s, when he was Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College, he began The Hobbit when he was marking School Certificate papers. On the back of one of the papers, he wrote the words "In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit". He did not go any further than that at the time, although in the following years he drew up Thror's map, outlining the geography of the tale. The tale itself he wrote in the early 1930s, and it was eventually published because he lent it to the Reverend Mother of Cherwell Edge when she was sick with the flu; while the Reverend Mother was in possession of the manuscript, it was seen by the 10-year old son of Sir Stanley Unwin, Rayner Unwin, who wrote such an enthusiastic review of the book that it was published by Allen & Unwin.

Tolkien introduced or mentioned characters and places that figured prominently in his legendarium, specifically Elrond and Gondolin, along with elements from Germanic legend. But the decision that the events of The Hobbit could belong to the same universe as The Silmarillion was made only after successful publication, when the publisher asked for a sequel. Accordingly, The Hobbit serves both as an introduction to Middle-earth and as a link between earlier and later events described in The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings, respectively. It has been suggested that The Hobbit can be read as a Bildungsroman in which Bilbo matures from an initially insular, superficial, and rather ineffectual person, typical of most hobbits according to Tolkien, to one who is versatile, brave, self-sufficient, and relied-upon by others when they are in need of assistance. Some have compared his development to the theories of Joseph Campbell on myth and, in particular, the journey of the epic hero. However, Tolkien himself probably did not intend the book to be read in this way. In the foreword to The Lord of the Rings he writes, "I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence." He further claimed that The Lord of the Rings is "neither allegorical nor topical", and it seems safe to assume that The Hobbit was written with the same caveats. Although a fairytale, the novel is both complex and sophisticated: it contains many names and words derived from Norse mythology, and central plot elements from the Beowulf epic, it makes use of Anglo-Saxon runes, information on calendars and moon phases, and detailed geographical descriptions that fit well with the accompanying maps. Near the end, the tale takes on epic proportions.

[edit] Synopsis

A hobbit named Bilbo Baggins is smoking on the front step of his comfortable hole one morning when Gandalf the Wizard passes by. They discuss the many meanings that Bilbo puts into the phrase "Good Morning", and the lack of adventurers in the neighbourhood. The thought of going on an adventure flusters Bilbo into offering one last "Good Morning", inviting Gandalf to tea the next day, and escaping back into his hole. An amused Gandalf scratches a secret mark on Bilbo's front door, which translated means 'Burglar wants a good job, plenty of excitement and reasonable reward'. The next day, thirteen dwarves (Thorin Oakenshield, Óin, Glóin (Gimli's father in The Lord of the Rings), Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Fíli and Kíli, Dori, Nori, and Ori) show up at the hole, along with Gandalf, and begin excitedly discussing their planned treasure hunt while the hapless Bilbo provides the obligatory hospitality. After the dwarves clean up their mess, a map is produced which shows the Lonely Mountain (Erebor) and environs; once ruled by Thorin's father (Thorin has rights to the treasure in the mountain), it was seized by the dragon Smaug, who now lurks in its depths. The map shows a secret door into the mountain, which the dwarves hope to use to defeat Smaug and reclaim their home. This, along with the fact that Bilbo's presence will break the unlucky number 13, is why the expedition needs a burglar. At first Bilbo wants nothing to do with the scheme, but then in a moment of anger and courage, commits to joining.

The next morning, after oversleeping and nearly missing the start of the journey, Bilbo goes off with the dwarves and the wizard. They are nearly eaten by three trolls, but Gandalf tricks the trolls into staying up all night arguing on how to cook the company whereupon they are turned into stone by the first light of dawn. (The stone trolls appear later in The Lord of the Rings.) In the troll's cave they find a mound of stolen treasure, including elvish weapons. Bilbo acquires the dagger Sting, which glows blue in the presence of Goblins.

The party travels to Rivendell where they enjoy the hospitality of the Elves and receive useful information and advice from Rivendell's master Elrond, then proceed eastwards into the Misty Mountains. While seeking shelter from a storm, they are ambushed by Goblins and carried down under the mountains. Gandalf manages to free them, but during the escape Bilbo loses the dwarves. Alone in the dark, Bilbo finds a ring on the floor of a cave passage and puts it into his pocket.

Continuing on, he finds himself at the shore of an underground lake. The creature Gollum paddles up in his boat, and the two enact a game of riddles, under the condition that if Bilbo wins, Gollum will show him the way out, but if he loses, Gollum will eat Bilbo. After several turns, Bilbo, whilst fiddling in his pocket unable to think of a riddle, asks himself aloud "What have I got in my pocket?" Gollum thinks this is supposed to be the next riddle, and while accepting it as legitimate, demands three guesses; despite taking four guesses, he fails to guess the answer. Bilbo demands his reward, but Gollum refuses and paddles off to the small island upon which he lives. There he searches for his most precious possession, a magic ring which turns its wearer invisible. Unable to find it, he belatedly realizes the answer to Bilbo's riddle, and goes storming back to the shore. Bilbo in turn realizes his life is in mortal danger and attempts to make his escape down the maze of pitch black tunnels. When Gollum gives chase, Bilbo trips and finds the ring slipping on his finger. Before Bilbo quite realizes what has happened, Gollum has run right past him. Quickly deducing the ring's power, Bilbo escapes past Gollum, who has gone to guard the only exit, and finds his way past the Goblins and to the surface where he rejoins the dwarves.

Descending from the Misty Mountains, they are carried away from a deadly encounter with Wargs (wild wolf creatures) and Goblins by Giant Eagles. They then visit the home of Beorn, an enormous and solitary man who can transform into a bear, where they rest and recuperate for several days before pushing on. At the edge of the black forest Mirkwood, Gandalf departs on a private errand. The others enter the forest, travelling for days on end and eventually running out of supplies. Gandalf had warned them not to leave the path, but seeing fire and hearing singing, the group goes to beg food from Wood-elves. They promptly get lost and are captured by giant spiders, but Bilbo rescues the dwarves using the ring and Sting. Elves then capture the dwarves and imprison them, but an invisible Bilbo manages to sneak into the Elvenking's palace unnoticed; he then helps the dwarves escape in food-barrels floated down the river which runs under the palace.

After spending more recovery-time at Laketown, the treasure-seekers proceed on to the Lonely Mountain. They locate the place where the secret entrance must be, but are unable to open it. As they sit despondent on the stoop, a thrush knocks at the snails on a nearby stone. Bilbo looks up to see the last rays of the Sun of Durin's Day shining on the cliff wall and magically revealing the lockhole for the secret door (as was foretold by moon letters upon the company's map.) Bilbo twice goes down to meet Smaug, who sleeps deep in the mountain on an enormous pile of treasure. The hobbit learns that the dragon has a bare patch on his left chest, and makes off with a large handled cup. The enraged dragon, while very puzzled by the existence of Bilbo, does correctly deduce that the Company received help from the people of Laketown and sets out to destroy the community. However, the thrush that had been knocking on the stone was no ordinary bird but one of an ancient race with whom the men of the lake could communicate, and it overhears Bilbo's report to the dwarves about Smaug's weak point. As the dragon ravages Laketown, the thrush conveys this message to one Bard the Bowman, who seeing the bare patch on his left chest area of Smaug, dispatches the dragon with a heirloom of his family, a dwarf-made arrow. When Smaug does not return, the dwarves take possession of the Mountain and its treasure. While scouting the dragon's lair, Bilbo finds the prized Arkenstone and tucks it away in his possessions.

The citizens of Laketown arrive at the Mountain to make historical claims and demand compensation for the help they had rendered, as well as reparations for the damage Smaug inflicted during his attack. They are joined by the Elves, who also demand a share based on historical claims. The dwarves refuse all negotiations and in turn summon kin from the north to strengthen their position. Bilbo attempts to use the Arkenstone as ransom to head off a war, but the various parties are intransigent. Thorin expels Bilbo from the Mountain and a fight seems inevitable.

But suddenly Gandalf is standing on the battlefield, warning the various leaders that a new more dire threat has appeared: an army of Goblins and Wargs has come from the Misty Mountains. The dwarves, humans and elves immediately put aside their differences, and a bitter battle ensues, named the Battle of Five Armies. Losses are heavy on all sides, but with the timely arrival and assistance of Beorn and the Giant Eagles, the anti-Goblin forces prevail. Thorin is among the casualties, but he lives long enough to part from Bilbo as friends. The treasure is apportioned fairly, but Bilbo refuses most of his contracted share of the riches, having no need for it and no way to get it home if he did; he nevertheless takes enough with him to make himself a wealthy hobbit and live happily thereafter, unaware of the dangerous nature of his ring.

[edit] Alternative version

In the first edition, Gollum willingly bets his magic ring on the outcome of the riddle game. During the writing of The Lord of the Rings Tolkien saw the need to revise this passage, in order to reflect the concept of the One Ring and its powerful hold on Gollum. Tolkien tried many different passages in the chapter that would become chapter 2 of the Lord of the Rings, "The Shadow of the Past". Eventually Tolkien decided a rewrite of The Hobbit was in order, and he sent a sample chapter of this rewrite ("Riddles in the Dark") to his publishers. Initially he heard nothing further, but when he was sent galley proofs of a new edition he learned to his surprise the new chapter had been incorporated as the result of a misunderstanding.

In the introduction of The Lord of the Rings, as well as inside "The Shadow of the Past", the differences of the first edition are explained as a "lie" that Bilbo made up because of the One Ring's influence on him, and which he originally wrote down in his book. Inside The Lord of the Rings, Bilbo finally confesses the true story at the Council of Elrond, although Gandalf had deduced the truth earlier. As Tolkien presented himself as the translator of the supposedly historic Red Book of Westmarch, where Bilbo and Frodo's stories were recorded, he further explained the two differing stories in The Hobbit by stating he had originally used Bilbo's original story, but later retranslated the work with the "true story" recorded by Frodo.

This first edition also uses the word "gnome", which Tolkien in his earlier writing had used to refer to the second kindred of the High Elves – the Noldor (or "Deep Elves"). Tolkien thought that "gnome", being derived from the Greek gnosis (knowledge), was a good name for the Noldor he created to be the wisest of the other Elves. But with its English connotations of a small, secretive, and unattractive creature (see garden gnome) Tolkien removed it from later editions.

He made other minor changes in order to conform the narrative to events in The Lord of the Rings and in the ideas he was developing for the Quenta Silmarillion.

[edit] Differences and inconsistencies

Even when revised, The Hobbit still does not fit seamlessly with the rest of Tolkien's world. It is so different in tone that it sometimes seems to belong in another universe from other Middle-earth works. Examples include the following:

• Bilbo has a clock, which may be an anachronism in The Lord of the Rings since this exact artifact is never seen. However, the most probable explanation of Bilbo's "obviously magical" gifts imported from Dale at the beginning of The Lord of the Rings is that they incorporate simple clockworks,^{[citation needed]} and the hobbits consistently tell time as hours "o'clock". Many artists such as John Howe prefer to omit the clock from their paintings nevertheless.
• Bilbo is said to have matches for his pipe. In the world of The Lord of the Rings, matches are not mentioned and have apparently not yet been invented, since all use flints.
• Like fairy-tale characters, the three trolls have English first names (Tom, Bert and Bill), and Bill has the English last name Huggins. Also, they speak fluent though vulgar English, while trolls in Tolkien's later works do not speak any English. This may be explained in-universe by treating the English text of The Lord of the Rings and other Middle-earth writings as translated from the original Westron, the "Common Speech" used in many parts of Middle-earth, used by Bilbo and others in the Red Book of Westmarch. The trolls' vulgar English may be an attempt to preserve their crude Westron.
• There is lighthearted use of "magic"; Gandalf is said to have given the Old Took a pair of diamond studs that "fastened themselves and never came undone till ordered", and when Bilbo tries to steal a purse from the trolls, the purse shouts. Magic is never used so casually or frivolously in The Lord of the Rings, and is more often an enhancement or corruption of natural phenomena.
• Elves sometimes appear either as silly and mischievous, singing light-hearted songs like Tra-la-la-lally. In The Lord of the Rings while they are occasionally light-hearted in their relations with mortals, nonsense poetry appears to be beneath them.
• Addressing the reader, the narrator says that the history of Gollum is a mystery to him; he does not know "who he is or where he came from" however one sentence in the riddle game mentions Gollum remembering "other funny little people living in holes". Gollum was revealed to be a Stoor hobbit in The Lord of the Rings. Of the One Ring, he only mentions that it was a "ring of power" that made the wearer invisible, except for a shaky and faint shadow when in full sunlight. Also, there was a "Master who ruled them", who is revealed to be Sauron in The Lord of the Rings.
• Orcs are still called Goblins.
• Gandalf mentions his 'cousin' Radagast to Beorn, though this may be for simple conversation's sake. It is alluded in Lord of the Rings and made explicit in Unfinished Tales that the wizards are Maiar incarnate.
• There are extensive mentions (and a brief appearance) of mountain giants. Giants were never developed in Tolkien's other works, and they are not specifically mentioned again, although they may be alluded to in the Fellowship of the Ring as the Fellowship tries to cross the Redhorn Pass. They are also mentioned in The Two Towers as the in-universe builders of Helm's Deep and are discussed by Sam in the Green Dragon at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring.

The most likely explanation for these inconsistencies is that Tolkien originally wrote the book as a much more light-hearted story, before The Lord of the Rings was ever conceived, and as a children's book.

Some of the differences in tone can be internally explained by accepting Bilbo as the author of the work, as was intended by Tolkien: Bilbo wrote the story of his journeys to recount them to the children of Hobbiton and therefore adapted the story somewhat. Apparent major differences such as the different perception of the Ring can also be explained by Bilbo's lack of knowledge of these matters at the time of his writing.

As told in "The Quest of Erebor" in Unfinished Tales, Tolkien later had Gandalf say that Bilbo's account would have been very different, if he had written it instead. Humphrey Carpenter's biography of Tolkien also claims that when he had to revise the book, he had to restrain himself from rewriting it entirely.

[edit] Similarities to Beowulf

During his time as a professor at the University of Oxford Tolkien studied Anglo-Saxon. One of the Anglo-Saxon pieces of literature he studied is the poem Beowulf, about which he wrote essays such as The Monsters and the Critics. Interesting parallels can be found between The Hobbit and Beowulf.

The plots of the two stories have some similarities. In both of them a party sets out to seek satisfaction for a crime committed by a dragon. Both parties contain a thief, which in The Hobbit is Bilbo, who steals a cup from the sleeping dragon's hoard by using a secret passage. Both dragons then awake from their deep slumber and cause terror and destruction. Both dragons are well protected by their armour, but finally they are killed.

Additionally, some elements of Anglo-Saxon culture can be found. In both books a king, which in Anglo-Saxon sometimes is called ring- or gold-giver, rewards his warriors with treasure and war gear. In Anglo-Saxon culture, poems are important, as they contain the people's history and they are sung by scops. Two such songs are found in Beowulf and more in The Hobbit. Tolkien's dwarves mirror Anglo-Saxon society, both in their warrior nature and in their desire for jewellery and war gear (albeit in an exaggerated way). The dwarvish writing system as illustrated uses the Anglo-Saxon runic alphabets. Both The Hobbit and Beowulf use mead as a drink of celebration.

In the annotated version of The Hobbit, Tolkien claims that Beowulf was among his most valued sources, although it wasn't consciously present to the mind when he was writing it.

[edit] Editions

George Allen & Unwin, Ltd. of London published the first edition of The Hobbit in September 1937. It was illustrated with many black-and-white drawings by Tolkien himself. The original printing numbered a mere 1,500 copies and sold out by December due to enthusiastic reviews. Houghton Mifflin of Boston and New York prepared an American edition to be released early in 1938 in which four of the illustrations would be colour plates. Allen & Unwin decided to incorporate the colour illustrations into their second printing, released at the end of 1937. Despite the book's popularity, wartime conditions forced the London publisher to print small runs of the remaining two printings of the first edition.

As remarked above, Tolkien substantially revised The Hobbit's text describing Bilbo's dealings with Gollum in order to blend the story better into what The Lord of the Rings had become. This revision became the second edition, published in 1951 in both UK and American editions. Slight corrections to the text have appeared in the third (1966) and fourth editions (1978).

New English-language editions of The Hobbit spring up often, despite the book's age, with at least fifty editions having been published to date. Each comes from a different publisher or bears distinctive cover art, internal art, or substantial changes in format. The text of each generally adheres to the Allen & Unwin edition extant at the time it is published.

The remarkable and enduring popularity of The Hobbit expresses itself in the collectors' market. The first printing of the first English language edition rarely sells for under $10,000 US dollars in any whole condition, and clean copies in original dust jackets signed by the author are routinely advertised for over $100,000. Online auction site eBay tends to define the market value for those who collect The Hobbit.

[edit] Translations

The Hobbit has been translated into many languages. Known languages, with the first date of publishing, are:

• Breton (2000): An Hobbit, pe eno ha distro. Lakaet e brezhoneg gant Alan Dipode. Argenteuil: Éditions Arda. ISBN 2-911979-03-6. Contains both maps with place-names in Breton; the runes are translated into Breton.
• Bulgarian (1975)
• Catalan (1983): Titled El Hòbbit on the cover and El Hòbbit o viatge d'anada i tornada on the title page. The runes and both maps (the one for the Wildlands and the other one for the Lonely Mountain) are in Catalan. Some names, though, remain in English (such as Baggins or Took, which in the Lord of the Rings are translated as Saquet and Tuc respectively). The book was directly translated from the original English version by Francesc Parcerisas in 1983. Published by La Magrana (Edicions de la Magrana, SA. Pàdua, 83, 08006, Barcelona) in April 1983 (first edition); the last edition was in May 2001 (20th edition). ISBN 84-8264-277-4.
• Traditional Chinese (2001)
• Croatian (1994)
• Czech (1973)
• Danish (1969): Hobbitten, eller ud og hjem igen. På dansk ved Ida Nyrop Ludvigsen. København: Gyldendal. 2002. ISBN 2-253-04941-7. Contains Thror's map in English; the runes remain in English, though "Hobbiten eller ud og hjem igen" is given in Danish in the author's preface.
• Dutch (1960)
• Esperanto (2000)
• Estonian (1977)
• Faroese (1990)
• Finnish (1973; retranslated in 1985)
• French (1969): Bilbo le Hobbit. Traduit de l'anglais par Francis Ledoux. Paris: Le Livre de Poche. 2002. ISBN 2-253-04941-7. Contains both maps with place-names in French; the runes remain in English.
• Galician (2000)
• German (1957)
• Greek (1978)
• Hebrew (1976): ההוביט או לשם ובחזרה. Ganei-Aviv: Zmora-Bitan (זמורה – ביתן). Contains no maps. Four Israeli combat pilots, held as prisoners of war in Egypt between 1970 and 1973, whiled away their time of captivity by translating "The Hobbit" to Hebrew from a book sent to one of them by family members, via the Red Cross. The pilots' translation was published in Tel-Aviv following their return, and many Israeli critics still consider it the best of several Hebrew translations.
• Hungarian (1975)
• Icelandic (1978)
• Indonesian (1977)
• Irish (expected 2006)
• Italian (1973): Lo hobbit, o la Riconquista del Tesoro. Traduzione di Elena Jeronimidis Conte. Milano: Adelphi Edizioni. ISBN 88-459-0688-4. Contains both maps with place-names in Italian; the runes are translated into Italian.
• Japanese (1965)
• Korean (1979)
• Lithuanian (1985)
• Luxembourgish (2002)
• Norwegian (1972): Hobbiten, eller fram og tilbake igjen. Oversatt av Nils Ivar Agøy. Trondheim: Tiden Norsk Forlag. ISBN 82-10-04300-5. Contains both maps with place-names in Norwegian; the runes are translated into Norwegian.
• Persian (2004): هابيت يا آنجا و بازگشت دوباره. Translator: رضا عليزاده (Reza Alizadeh). Tehran. 2004 (١٣٨٣). ISBN 964-334-200-X. Contains both maps with place-names in Persian; the runes remain in English.
• Polish (1960)
• Portuguese-Portugal:
  • (1962) O Gnomo. Porto: Livraria Civilização Editora. Tr. Maria Isabel Morna Braga, Mário Braga; il. António Quadros.
  • (1985) O Hobbit. Mem Martins: Publicações Europa-América. Tr. Fernanda Pinto Rodrigues.
• Romanian (1975)
  • Moldavian (1987; in Cyrillic)
• Russian (1976)
• Serbo-Croatian (1975)
• Slovak (1973)
• Slovenian (1986): Hobit ali Tja in spet nazaj , Translator: Dušan Ogrizek , Ljubljana : Mladinska knjiga, 1986
• Spanish: El hobbit. Traducción de Manuel Figueroa. Barcelona: Ediciones Minotauro. 1983. ISBN 84-450-7171-6. Contains only Thror's map with place-names in Spanish; the runes remain in English.
• Swedish: Bilbo – En hobbits äventyr. (1947; retranslated 1962)
• Thai (2002)
• Turkish (1996)
• Ukrainian (1985)

[edit] Adaptations

Over the years, The Hobbit has been adapted for other media multiple times.

[edit] Film

An animated version of the story produced by Rankin/Bass debuted as a television movie in the United States in 1977.

Peter Jackson, director of the The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, stated in March 2005 that a live-action motion picture version of The Hobbit was being considered, but that it would be at least 2008 or 2009 before filming would start due to the rights being split between MGM and New Line Cinema. ^[1] MGM reported on September 11, 2006 that they, in cooperation with New Line, were going ahead with production of The Hobbit for release within a few years. ^[2] While MGM expressed interest in having Jackson direct, he responded on AICN that he was willing, but they hadn't approached him and he was growing increasingly busy. MGM chairman and chief executive Harry Sloan has confirmed that Jackson is in "advanced talks" to direct two movies adapting The Hobbit. ^[3] Jackson and Sloan have mentioned that the first movie would be "a direct adaptation of The Hobbit," while the second would be used to explore the White Council subplot through "footnotes and source materials" and other aspects that would help integrate the story with The Lord of the Rings. ^[3][4] However, it seems now that they have decided to make the movies with another director, and are passing on Peter Jackson. ^[5] It transpired that due to an ongoing legal dispute between Jackson's Wingnut Films and New Line, cooperation between the two parties proved unworkable. The dispute centers around a case brought by Jackson against New Line Cinema regarding income from the first film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, following an audit carried out by Wingnut on the film. Initially Jackson refused to discuss making a Hobbit film until the lawsuit was settled, but later put the onus on New Line, claiming that they would not allow him to make the film unless the case was dropped. With New Line keen to act on the wave of popularity created by the The Lord of the Rings trilogy, they were no longer prepared to wait for the lawsuit to run its course and decided to proceed with a new director and production team. ^[6] However, this may not be the end of the matter, as MGM still supports Peter Jackson and has stated that the matter is far from over.^[7] However, according to a post on 11-19-06 on theonering.net an email by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh was put up saying that they would not be directing the Hobbit Movie or the other prequel planned. ^[8]

After the theatrical debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, a spoof trailer surfaced on peer-to-peer communities depicting possible scenes (such as the burning of Laketown) from the alleged Hobbit movie and announcing a release date of December 2006. With the exception of the Smaug shots, which were actually from the 1981 film Dragonslayer ^[9], all of the scenes depicted have been seen in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. The "trailer", however, was merely a mock project that film-maker Steve Latham had created, and not an actual trailer for a Hobbit movie.^[10] Indeed, the trailer was obviously composed of nothing but scenes from the trilogy, and aforementioned Dragonslayer scenes which were clearly of a lower production quality than the other material, but it still suceeded in fooling a great number of people.

[edit] Other adaptations

BBC Radio 4 broadcast The Hobbit radio drama, adapted by Michael Kilgarriff, in eight parts (4 hours) from September to November 1968, which starred Anthony Jackson as narrator, Paul Daneman as Bilbo and Heron Carvic as Gandalf.

The BBC childrens' televison series Jackanory presented an adaptation of The Hobbit[1] in 1979. Unusually for the programme, the adaptation had multiple storytellers.

Nicol Williamson's abridged reading of the book was released on four LP records in 1974 by Argo Records.

Rob Inglis adapted and performed a one-man theatre play of The Hobbit. This performance led to him being asked to read/perform the unabridged audiobook for The Lord of the Rings for Recorded Books in 1990. In 1991 he read the unabridged version of The Hobbit.

A three part comic book adaptation with script by Chuck Dixon and Sean Deming and illustrated by David Wenzel was published by Eclipse Comics in 1989. A reprint collected in one volume was released by Del Rey Books in 2001.

[edit] Games

The Hobbit has been the subject of several board games, including "The Lonely Mountain" (1984) and "The Battle of Five Armies" (1984) and the almost eponymous "The Hobbit Adventure Boardgame" 1997 from Iron Crown Enterprises.

Several computer and video games, both official and unofficial, have been based on the story. One of the first was The Hobbit, an award winning (Golden Joystick Award for Strategy Game of the Year 1983) computer game developed in 1982 by Beam Software and published by Melbourne House for most computers available at the time, from the more popular computers such as the ZX Spectrum, and the Commodore 64, through to such esoteric computers as the Dragon 32 and Oric computers. By arrangement with publishers, a copy of the novel was included with each game sold.

Sierra Entertainment published The Hobbit in 2003 for Windows PCs, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube. It is a platform game and is seen as more child-oriented than the contemporary The Lord of the Rings film trilogy games: less brutal, fewer enemies and more simplistic graphics. A similar version of this game was also published for the Game Boy Advance.

[edit] Influences on other works

Led Zeppelin's song "Misty Mountain Hop" contains references to The Hobbit, whilst other songs are thought to be influenced by The Lord of the Rings. "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins", performed by Leonard Nimoy as part of his 1968 Two Sides of Leonard Nimoy album, is the most pertinent because it recounts the book's storyline in its two minutes. The ballad's music video became a minor Internet phenomenon in the early 2000s when The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was released. Another well-known reference is Blind Guardian's The Bard's Song: The Hobbit. A trance track was released in 1995 by Dynamix Maniax, featuring the title "Calling Middle-earth," containing a muffled sample from the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit.

[edit] See also

• The Quest of Erebor
• English-language editions of The Hobbit
• Early American editions of The Hobbit

[edit] External links

• The official Tolkien website.
• collection of edition covers, 1937 – 2005
• Every UK edition of The Hobbit
• Every Dutch edition of The Hobbit
• Hobbits around the globe - gallery
• Let the Hobbit Happen

[edit] References